Department for Transport

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative work his Department has undertaken in the awarding of rolling stock contracts with different EU countries under the Utilities Contracts Regulations.

Andrew Jones: The Department has not undertaken such comparative work as it is a matter for train operators, in awarding their own rolling stock contracts, to ensure they are compliant with any applicable procurement requirements. Where the Government has led procurements of new trains in the past these have involved comprehensive assessments of available contracting and funding options in accordance with statutory processes.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how value for money for the taxpayer is evaluated in the awarding of rolling stock contracts.

Andrew Jones: Rolling stock procurement is undertaken through fair and open competition, usually by train operators as part of their franchise commitments. Bids submitted as part of a franchise competition are subject to value for money analysis as a whole. It is Government policy to secure benefits for passengers and taxpayers through working with the private sector.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what statutory powers his Department has to ensure that rail franchises deliver the greatest benefit to the UK economy, through rolling stock contracts.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what regulatory powers the Office of Rail and Road has to ensure that rail franchises deliver the greatest benefit to the UK economy through rolling stock contracts.

Andrew Jones: Rolling stock procurement is undertaken through fair and open competition, usually by train operators as part of their franchise commitments. It is a matter for train operators, in awarding their own rolling stock contracts, to ensure they are compliant with any applicable procurement legislation. Neither the Department nor the Office of Rail and Road has statutory or regulatory powers in relation to the procurement process.

Railways: Manufacturing Industries

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on the offshoring of rail manufacturing.

Andrew Jones: Through the Rail Sector Deal government is working with industry to promote procurement practices that support an innovative, highly-skilled, and productive British rail supply chain. Our policy is that to ensure value for money, including for taxpayers and users of the railway, procurement of goods is undertaken through fair and open competition.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether rolling stock contracts will be included in the Government’s zero-based capital review to ensure Departmental procurement and rail franchising delivers the greatest benefit to UK economy and boost productivity.

Andrew Jones: Rolling stock procurement is undertaken through fair and open competition, usually via a train operating company as part of their franchise commitments. Rolling stock contracts are not direct departmental capital spending and we therefore do not expect them to form part of any zero-based capital review. However, the William’s Rail Review will consider rail franchising as part of the root and branch review of the railway to ensure that rail delivers benefits for passengers and taxpayers.

Shipping: Training

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the number of UK Cadets (a) entering and (b) completing training on Tonnage Tax qualifying vessels between 2000-01 and 2018-19.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The table below provides information on the number of new entrant UK resident cadets from 2003/04 – 2018/19. Figures for 2000/01 – 2002/03 are not provided as these are not directly comparable with later statistics. The figures for the current academic year (2018/19) are incomplete as the training year is still ongoing. The Department does not currently hold data against its Tonnage Tax returns for cadets who complete their training however will actively explore gathering this information in the future.New Starters2003/046212004/055712005/065622006/076582007/088542008/099252009/107022010/118502011/129032012/137762013/147902014/158192015/167522016/177372017/186842018/19incomplete

Shipping: Training

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Ratings were trained on Tonnage Tax qualifying vessels since 2000-01.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Prior to 2015, the training of ratings did not contribute to the minimum training obligation placed on tonnage tax companies. As a result no ratings are recorded as having been trained on tonnage tax qualifying vessels. The table below shows the numbers since the minimum training obligation was introduced. The figures for the current academic year (2018/19) are incomplete as the training year is still ongoing.Ratings Trained2015/1662016/17132017/18312018/19incompleteThe Department has a number of initiatives to promote employment of UK seafarers at all ranks and across all sectors. For ratings these include SMarT funding, the training link in UK Tonnage Tax and apprenticeships. The Ratings Taskforce, which comprised representatives from industry and the unions, was reconvened to look at promotion of ratings training and employment opportunities. The Taskforce has now been merged with the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB) Futures Group which will continue this work.

East Midlands Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Arriva have submitted a compliant bid for the East Midlands Trains franchise.

Andrew Jones: Abellio has been awarded the East Midlands Railway franchise as the company submitted the strongest bid for passengers and taxpayers. Arriva’s bid is a matter for them.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: To date, the Department has allocated £74m specifically to ‘no deal’ preparations. As we further our preparations for EU Exit, we may allocate additional resources for no deal contingencies.

Driving: Licensing

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce delays and (b) improve the experience of people requiring a medical review when renewing their driving licence.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) makes around 745,000 medical licensing decisions each year and aims to complete 90 per cent of these within 90 working days. The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition involved and whether information is needed from medical professionals. The DVLA has recruited additional staff to process medical applications and notifications. This includes increasing the number of doctors and introducing nurse caseworkers to deal with specific conditions. The DVLA is also working with third parties, for example, GPs, consultants and opticians, to reduce the time taken to receive the information it requires to make licensing decisions. The DVLA also provides an online service for customers to notify a medical condition or renew a driving licence previously issued following a medical condition. The DVLA continually reviews its processes and has a dedicated team responsible for the improvement of its medical driver licensing services and communications.

Bristow Helicopters

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contingency plans his Department has implemented in the event that Bristow's Helicopters Ltd is unable to fulfil its obligations on search and rescue.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department keeps its contingency plans under continual review should Bristow Helicopters Ltd be at any time unable to fulfil its contractual obligations. These plans include comprehensive contractual provisions to step in and take over the service in the unlikely event that it is required to do so. The detail of these plans is commercially sensitive.

Gatwick Airport: Motorways

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the President of the Board of Trade on the effect on trade of improving the Reading to Gatwick Airport road corridor through the building of an M31.

Jesse Norman: The Department recognises the importance to trade of high-quality and reliable transport to and from airports, and is considering how to improve connectivity in the south of England, including the Reading to Gatwick Airport area, through the M25 South West Quadrant strategic study.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Consumers: Regulation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that regulators have the powers they need to address the loyalty penalty that consumers pay for essential services.

Kelly Tolhurst: The loyalty penalty is an important issue which the Government is determined to address. The Government remains in regular dialogue with regulators to ensure their powers are sufficient.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he next plans to meet international counterparts to discuss climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: The UK continues to demonstrate the strong leadership needed to tackle climate change, both at home and abroad. As an issue of significant public and international importance my rt. hon. Friends the Secretary of State and the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth regularly meet with their international counterparts to discuss a range of issues including climate change.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sri Lanka: Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Sri Lankan security services as a result of the terrorist attack on Christians on 21 April 2019.

Mark Field: ​The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on the 23 April to express her condolences on behalf of the UK and to offer UK expertise and assistance. We are working closely with Sri Lankan authorities and partners on the ground, and are discussing with the Sri Lankan government what form of support would be most helpful and effective.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Treasury has allocated over £4.2 bn in additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412m additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) at Autumn Statement 2016.£286m additional funding for 2017/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018.Over £2bn additional funding for 2019/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December 2018.This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK's departure from the EU. Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.The FCO also received £5.6m additional funding in 2018/19 for no-deal civil contingency planning.

Climate Change

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic means the UK has within the Commonwealth to help countries tackle climate change.

Mark Field: Climate change has long been of concern to the Commonwealth. This concern has been reflected in Commonwealth statements as early as the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment in 1989. Under UK chairmanship at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, leaders reaffirmed their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The Government is now using it's diplomatic network to support mitigation and adaptation across the Commonwealth. For example: · In Asia, Malaysia has confirmed its interest in partnering with the UK to develop an emissions calculator. The calculator is an open source energy and emissions tool developed by the UK to allow countries to explore and develop strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. · In Africa, the UK has provided £500,000 to support the Commonwealth’s Climate Finance Access Hub based in Mauritius. The Hub will help small and vulnerable countries access international sources of finance to support adaptation and mitigation. · In the Caribbean, the UK is helping four countries – Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, and St Lucia – to prepare detailed disaster risk profiles to aid efforts to increase their resilience to natural disaster. This work builds on existing support from the World Bank and is expected to be extended across the region over the next year. · In the Pacific, the UK has pledged £1.2 million to support the establishment in Fiji of a Regional Nationally Determined Contribution Hub. The centre has been established in partnership with Australia, Germany and New Zealand, to help Pacific Island Countries implement national climate change policies and frameworks in response to the 2015 Paris Agreement. ​

Attorney General

Attorney General: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Attorney General, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Robert Buckland: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf.) Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/) Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/) The funding provided is in addition to the Attorney General’s Office’s efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU. This funding is to support preparation for all scenarios.

Department of Health and Social Care

Orkambi

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the value of packs of Orkambi that have been disposed of while negotiations between NHS England and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are ongoing.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has made no such estimate.

Riluzole

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of Rilutek for people with motor neurone disease, and if he will make a statement.

Seema Kennedy: The Department fully understands that maintaining access to Riluzole (Rilutek) for the management of motor neurone disease is vitally important to many people in this country. We are aware that there was a supply issue with Riluzole earlier this year which resulted in limited supplies during February and early March, and worked closely with suppliers to manage this.Supplies of Riluzole 50 milligram tablets are currently available in volumes that are sufficient to meet normal United Kingdom demand. The Department continues to work very closely with all the manufacturers of Riluzole 50 milligram tablets and can confirm that the supply situation continues to improve with further deliveries expected over the coming months. All patients who require Riluzole 50 milligram tablets should be able to obtain a supply from their pharmacy.We continue to work closely with industry and partners in the health system to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when supply issues do arise.

Urinary Tract Infections: Screening

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 10 April 2019 to Question 243537, Urinary Tract Infections: Screening and with reference to the four items of correspondence cited in the Answer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS UTI screening tests in detecting bacteria in the bladder's lining.

Seema Kennedy: In January 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a revised Clinical Knowledge Summary ‘Urinary tract infection (lower) – women’. The Clinical Knowledge Summaries provide an overview of the process and evidence considered in developing the documents.

Sapropterin

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) plans to conclude its technology appraisal for the National Health Service on the use of Kuvan for the treatment of phenylketonuria.

Seema Kennedy: The appropriate assessment route for Kuvan (sapropterin) for the treatment of phenylketonuria has recently been reconsidered through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) topic selection process to take into account additional evidence presented by the company and other stakeholders, during which time NICE’s appraisal of Kuvan was paused. That process has now concluded and the topic selection decision making group has determined that Kuvan should continue to be assessed through the technology appraisal process. NICE will now schedule the topic back into the work programme as quickly as possible to allow for development of guidance without additional undue delay.

Opiates: Prescriptions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will place in the library a copy of the definition his Department uses for the term discontinuation syndrome in relation to opioid prescriptions as used by Public Health England.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England (PHE) has not used the term ‘discontinuation syndrome’ to refer to opioid dependence. The term was used in the early stages of the Prescribed Medicines Review in relation to antidepressant medication as that was the only term recognised by some stakeholders at the time the review started.PHE’s final report on the review will clarify the use of the term. This is due to be published in summer 2019.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to establish programme for the roll-out of the HPV vaccine for boys to ensure parity of take-up with the girls' HPV programme.

Seema Kennedy: Preparation to implement the extension of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme to boys is progressing well. NHS England has carried out a series of assurance surveys to assess the preparedness of the system for the extension of the HPV vaccination programme to boys, specifically covering the service provision, delivery, data collection and coverage. The outcome of that exercise has shown that roll-out is on track for the 2019/20 academic year.Public Health England is undertaking research with families and parents of young boys to ensure that we are able to communicate the benefits of the HPV vaccine and ensure parity with the girls’ programme.

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rate of age-standardised cardiovascular disease in England.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England publishes trend data on the under 75 mortality rate from all CVD as part of the Public Health Outcomes Framework. Between 2015 and 2017, 101,317 people under 75 years died from cardiovascular disease in England, an age-standardised rate of 72.5 per 100,000 people. Between 2001-03 to 2015-17 the rate declined every year and overall there was a 47.5% decrease in CVD mortality rate. These data are available to view at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data#page/4/gid/1000044/pat/6/par/E12000001/ati/102/are/E06000005/iid/40401/age/163/sex/4 The age-standardised mortality rates of heart disease and stroke among people under 75 years have also reduced during 2004-06 to 2015-17, decreasing by 42.7% and 37.6% respectively. These data are available to view at the following links:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/cardiovascular-disease-diabetes-kidney-disease/profile/cardiovascular/data#page/4/gid/1938133108/pat/46/par/E39000018/ati/152/are/E38000171/iid/91059/age/163/sex/4https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/cardiovascular-disease-diabetes-kidney-disease/profile/cardiovascular/data#page/4/gid/1938133110/pat/46/par/E39000018/ati/152/are/E38000171/iid/91061/age/163/sex/4

Cancer: Social Security Benefits

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to ensure that the holistic needs of cancer patients are identified and addressed within the benefits system.

Seema Kennedy: There are regular discussions with Cabinet ministers on a wide range of subjects.As described in the NHS Long Term Plan, personalised care and support planning is being rolled out across the country, based upon the completion of holistic needs assessment and provision of ongoing support to self-manage their health and wellbeing. This will help ensure that the patient is signposted or referred to community support, including information on financial matters, such as benefits, and psychological support.

Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential link between the consumption of ready-made meals and heart disease.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England has advised that it has not made any assessment of the potential link between the consumption of ready-made meals and heart disease, and that attributing disease to particular foods would be difficult due to the range of factors that play a part in causing the development of diet-related diseases.

Dental Health: Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to increase public awareness of gum disease and tooth loss.

Seema Kennedy: Local authorities are responsible for assessing the oral health needs of their local population, developing appropriate strategies and commissioning oral health improvement programmes for both gum disease and tooth loss.In 2017, Public Health England (PHE) published a ‘Guide to a healthy mouth in adults’ which provides a summary of the simple steps that can be taken to protect and improve oral health. In 2018, PHE also published ‘Commissioning Better Oral Health for Vulnerable Older People’ which supports commissioners in improving the oral health of vulnerable older people. Finally, in 2019, PHE published ‘Adult Oral Health- applying All Our Health’, online guidance for healthcare professionals to improve oral health in adults. This guidance is available at the following links:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/601835/healthy_mouth_adults_quick_guide.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-better-oral-health-for-vulnerable-older-peoplehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-oral-health-applying-all-our-healthThe National Health Service website also has information on preventing and treating gum disease. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Gum-disease/

Asthma

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) men and (b) women in each age group have been classified as having asthma in the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: The information is not held in the format requested.

Raynaud's Phenomenon

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with Raynaud syndrome in each of the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: The information is not available in the requested format.

Diabetes: Orthopaedics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with diabetes have had an amputation in each of the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: NHS Digital data details the count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and a primary procedure of amputation, for the financial years between 2013-14 and 2017-18.  Financial year 2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-18FAEs1,0021,0801,2221,3951,497Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Digital A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

Vaccination: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the take-up of vaccinations for children.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England, in partnership with NHS England and the Department, is undertaking a range of actions to improve vaccination coverage for children of all ages in England. This includes initiatives to improve access to the immunisation programme; communication with the public; data to better identify underserved individuals and populations; and training for healthcare professionals.

Food Poisoning: Admissions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were admitted to hospital with food poisoning in each of the last five years.

Seema Kennedy: Public Health England does not collect data on hospitalisations due to food poisoning.Registered medical practitioners in England and Wales have a statutory duty to notify their local authority or local Health Protection Team of suspected cases of certain infectious diseases, including cases of suspected food poisoning. There is no requirement to provide information on whether cases are hospitalised.

Health Services: Planning

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the provision of local health services, such as GP practices, in planning guidelines for new housing.

Seema Kennedy: The two Departments have been working together closely to update national planning guidance on healthy and safe communities, which is expected to be published shortly. The Departments will continue to discuss how to best support planning authorities and health bodies to provide necessary health services through the planning system.

General Practitioners: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with Cherwell District Council and the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group on providing additional GP services for new housing proposed in the Cherwell Local Plan.

Seema Kennedy: The National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that strategic policies should make sufficient provision for community facilities, such as health, education and cultural infrastructure.The National Planning Practice Guidance states that:- Strategic policy-making authorities should work with public health leads and health organisations to understand and take account of the current and projected health status and needs of the local population, including the quality and quantity of, and accessibility to, healthcare and the effect any planned growth may have on this; and - the views of the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) and NHS England should be sought regarding the impact of new development which would have a significant or cumulatively significant effect on health infrastructure and/or the demand for healthcare services.Oxfordshire CCG have advised us they are working with Cherwell District Council and local practices to understand the population growth in its district council area.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will allocate additional funding to support charities providing direct services to people with ME in London.

Seema Kennedy: Services for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis; including those provided by the voluntary sector, are commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. It is the responsibility of the local National Health Service commissioners to ensure NHS services are commissioned to meet local need and that they address any shortfalls in provision.

Electronic Cigarettes

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of changing the maximum nicotine content of 20 mg/ml currently allowed in vaping products in the event that the UK leaves the EU Tobacco Products Directive.

Seema Kennedy: No assessment has currently been made.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2019 on Question 240941, whether the PrEP Impact Trial website is updated each day.

Seema Kennedy: The Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Impact trial website is currently updated every one to two days to show the recruitment status of each clinic as additional trial places start to be released and as further information comes in. This website can be viewed at the following link:https://www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk/

Vaccination: Disinformation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle misinformation in anti-vaccine literature.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide Prevention (Jackie Doyle-Price MP) gave on 26 March 2019 to Question 233488.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patient and health professional organisations are engaged in the Department's working group on medicinal cannabis.

Seema Kennedy: The Department has held a number of engagement events with representatives of patients and health professionals in relation to this policy.The Department has also arranged three meetings with stakeholders, ahead of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence publishing its guidelines on the prescribing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use in October 2019. These meetings are attended by relevant Government departments, public bodies including advisory committees and professional clinical organisations. The purpose of these meetings is to make sure work, already commissioned to implement policy on medicinal cannabis, continues to align in the interim period before the guidelines are issued.

Aortic Dissection: Diagnosis

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to help improve diagnosis of Aortic Dissection.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England Specialised Commissioning has a published service specification for cardiac surgery, to support national standards, which include this highly serious condition.It is recognised that survival rates for emergency interventions are better when care is delivered by a surgeon supported by interventional specialists undertaking higher volumes of these procedures. This point was also highlighted in the Cardiac Surgery Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) 2018 document, and the NHS England Specialised Cardiac Improvement cardiac surgery work stream is taking forward the GIRFT recommendations, which will also look at how pathways of care for this and other specialised cardiac conditions can be improved by better network working across providers.

Aortic Dissection: Tomography

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the frequency of CT scanning in relation to aortic dissection; and what plans he has to increase the speed of access to that service.

Seema Kennedy: It is recognised the demand for cardiothoracic CT scanning procedures has increased considerably in recent years, for a number of indications.The NHS Long Term Plan has identified the need to undertake an assessment of the capacity and demand for CT, including workforce implications.

Heart Diseases: Surgery

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist aortic surgery facilities there are in the UK; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing more specialist aortic surgery centres.

Seema Kennedy: There are currently 28 specialised cardiac surgery centres in England.NHS England and NHS Improvement has advised that the Specialised Cardiac Improvement Programme includes a workstream on cardiac surgery, but this and previous work has not identified the need for additional surgical centres. The aim is to further develop networked centres to increase access to surgeons who have developed and can maintain particular expertise in aortic dissection surgery.

Hypertension: Clinics

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing additional specialist blood pressure clinics.

Seema Kennedy: The number of individuals with resistant hypertension, requiring highly specialist input, is small and there are specialist clinics across the country.NHS England and NHS Improvement has advised that the vast majority of people with hypertension will be satisfactorily managed in primary care, often with support from hospital specialists across cardiology, renal medicine, and clinical pharmacology.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the view that no deal is better than a bad deal remains the Government's policy.

James Cleverly: It is the Government’s position that the Withdrawal Agreement is a good deal for the UK.Parliament has voted against no deal three times, and it is clear that there is no Parliamentary majority for leaving without a deal.We will continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios. A bad deal would be one which did not deliver on the referendum result, or did not allow the UK to take back control of our laws, money, and borders. The withdrawal agreement achieves all of this, ensuring a good deal for British businesses and citizens.

Ministry of Justice

Prison Officers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officers in bands three to five in each prison operated by HMPPS have less than three years' experience.

Lucy Frazer: The number of HMPPS band 3-5 prison officers in post, as at 31 December 2018, with less than three years’ experience in each prison can be found in the accompanying excel table. We commend our hard-working prison officers who do a vital job in protecting the public every day, often in challenging and difficult circumstances. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.35 KB)

Prison Officers

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many officers in bands three to five in each prison operated by HMPPS have three or more years' experience.

Lucy Frazer: The number of HMPPS band 3-5 prison officers in post, as at 31 December 2018, with three or more years’ experience in each prison can be found in the accompanying excel table. We commend our hard-working prison officers who do a vital job in protecting the public every day, often in challenging and difficult circumstances. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We’ve improved induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.31 KB)

Criminal Proceedings

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether an impact assessment was carried out in respect of the removal of the preliminary inquiry stage of court proceedings in serious crime cases in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Section 6(1) of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 originally contained provisions which obliged a magistrates’ court inquiring into an offence as examining justices to commit a defendant charged with an indictable offence to the Crown Court for trial, if, after consideration of the evidence (including oral evidence), it was of the opinion that there was sufficient evidence to put the defendant on trial by jury. If the court was not of that opinion (and the defendant was in custody for no other reason than that offence), it was obliged to discharge the defendant. Pursuant to a recommendation from the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice in 1993, the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 amended the committal provisions (with effect from March 1997) to exclude the possibility of oral evidence. The effect was therefore that magistrates' courts could consider only documentary evidence tendered by the prosecution when determining whether there the defendant should be committed for trial. The resulting paper-based committal proceedings were subsequently replaced by the present procedure in May 2013 when section 6 was repealed, with the result that there is no preliminary examination of the evidence in the magistrates’ court and cases are sent to the Crown Court when it appears to the magistrates’ court that the case is more suitable to be tried there. There was no impact assessment.

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to introduce tougher community sentences.

Lucy Frazer: The sentencing framework already gives courts the flexibility to select community order requirements which are a robust alternative to custody, and are tailored to address the specific issues that contribute to reoffending. Community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending, and therefore keeping the public safe. We must ensure the public and judiciary have confidence in effective community orders, including those which address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and substance misuse needs and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community. We are rolling out GPS enabled location monitoring in addition to the existing curfew monitoring technology, which will provide the courts with an additional option when imposing community sentences. Some requirements aim to reduce reoffending by addressing the issues that contribute to the underlying causes of offending. We are working with the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and Public Health England, in addition to the relevant local authorities, on protocol to support the greater use of community sentences with treatment requirements in courts in five testbed sites across the UK. The Community Sentence Treatment Requirement protocol sets out what is expected from all relevant agencies to ensure improved access to treatment for offenders who need it We are taking action to improve probation delivery and enforcement of community requirements. We recently consulted on a range of reforms to probation and we will set out detailed plans shortly. As part of those reforms we want to make sure that judges and magistrates get the right information on what probation services are available locally.

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2019 to Questions 230698-230707 and 231412-231416 on prison sentences, how many community orders each of those offenders had previously been given before being sent to prison.

Lucy Frazer: The Answer of 19 March 2019 to Questions 230698-230707 and 231412-231416 was on the highest number of previous offences committed, for different offence items, before being given an immediate custodial sentence in each of the last three years. Pursuant to this, the answer regarding how many community orders each of those offenders had previously been given before being sent to prison can be found in the table attached. As benefit fraud offences are not prosecuted by the police, it is not possible to answer Question 230707.Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, who take into account all circumstances of the case, including any aggravating and mitigating factors. We are clear that sentencing must match the severity of a crime.However, sentences should also rehabilitate. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 involved around 350,000 sentencing occasions over 4 years and used 130 different variables to construct matched groups of offenders and examine the effect of short sentences relative to community sentences. This study found a reduction of around 3 percentage points in proven reoffences if offenders receiving sentences of less than 12 months were to get a community order instead. This is statistically significant and equates to around 30,000 proven reoffences in total over a one-year period. This means fewer victims of crime.Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.35 KB)

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken to tackle breaches and non-compliance of community orders.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure offenders who breach their community orders are returned to court to face breach proceedings.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what testing his Department does to ensure that systems to deal with breaches of community orders are working correctly.

Lucy Frazer: Protection of the public is our key priority. This includes taking effective action to ensure that court orders are properly enforced. In the event of two unreasonable failures to comply with the requirements of a community order or suspended sentence order, Probation Instruction 06/2014 (Enforcement of Community Orders and Suspended Sentence Orders) requires both the National Probation Service and the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to return the offender to court. Where offenders are not complying with their sentences, probation providers must take swift and robust action, with offenders returned to court for breach proceedings where appropriate. We have robust systems in place to manage the effectiveness of our enforcement practices. NPS managers are required to monitor the timely enforcement of cases and to take appropriate action when necessary. Our contract management team closely monitors CRCs to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce re-offending, protect the public and provide value for money to taxpayers. This includes enforcing orders where offenders fail to comply. Our internal assurance mechanisms are reviewed regularly to ensure there is adequate oversight of probation performance.

Community Orders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of offenders who were given a community order in each of the last three years breached their order and (a) the order was allowed to continue, (b) were re-sentenced to immediate custody, (c) were re-sentenced to a suspended sentence and (d) were re-sentenced to a different disposal.

Lucy Frazer: The number and proportion of offenders who were given a community order in each of the last three years who breached their order and (a) the order was allowed to continue, (b) were re-sentenced to immediate custody, (c) were re-sentenced to a suspended sentence and (d) were re-sentenced to a new community order can be found in the table attached.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 16.01 KB)

Prison Officers: Training

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 236498 on Prison Officers: Training, how many prison officers and prison custody officers have received the Offender Manager Key Worker skills training in each (a) publicly and (b) privately operated prison.

Lucy Frazer: Offender management in custody is a vital part of our work to make prisons safer. It will develop more rehabilitative prisons to deliver supportive environment for both prisoners and staff. Since March 2017, we have offered 13,260 training places for Offender Manager Key Worker Skills to the closed male estate, of which 9,361 places have been taken. Of the 78 prisons in the closed male estate, we have completed our planned training dates into 66 prisons and the remaining 12 are ongoing. In addition, we have offered additional dates to the establishments which have finished their bulk of training but have staff returning from long-term sick or maternity leave. In our privately managed prisons, 1,296 prison custody officers have completed the offender Manager Key Worker skills training. The women’s estate has only recently introduced key worker role and this data is not yet held centrally.

Prison Officers: Training

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2019 to Question 236498 on Prison Officers: Training, how many e-learning completions there have been in (a) core concepts and key skills, (b) risk assessment, planning and management, (c) child safeguarding and domestic abuse, and (d) adult safeguarding.

Lucy Frazer: As previously stated in Parliamentary Question 236498, there is an extensive training programme for Prison Offender Managers which is a blended delivery approach of workbooks, e-learning and face to face learning. Since April 2017 the total number of e-learning completed alongside face to face training on the below topics are as follows:Child safeguarding and domestic abuse – 2661Adult safeguarding – 2686 The below two topics are not delivered by e-learning, these are delivered face to face including a workbook:Core concepts and key skillsRisk assessment, planning and management

Tim Parker

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department made of any potential conflicts of interest arising from his chairmanship of Post Office Limited.prior to the appointment of Tim Parker as Chairman of the Board of HM Courts & Tribunals Service.

Lucy Frazer: Tim Parker was appointed Chairman of the HMCTS Board in April 2018 following an open and transparent recruitment process. As required under the terms of the HMCTS Framework Document, Tim’s appointment was made by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice and the Senior President of Tribunals, following the unanimous recommendation made by the recruitment panel. All of those involved in the appointment were aware of the fact that Mr. Parker is also Chairman of the Board of Post Office Limited, which they concluded did not present any conflict. HMCTS manages the administration of courts and tribunals; it has no influence on the outcome of hearings, which are decisions entirely for the independent judiciary.

Prison Officers: Resignations

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many band three to five prison officers with three or more years’ experience left the prison service by each prison in each quarter from 2010 to 2018.

Lucy Frazer: The number of band 3-5 prison officers who left the prison service with less than three years’ experience, by prison, can be found in the accompanying excel table. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers. We are working hard to retain staff, including by giving them the biggest pay award in a decade last year and by providing additional training. We’ve also improved induction processes to ease new officers’ transition into the job, and all staff can make use of services including 24/7 counselling, trauma support and occupational health assessments. These measures are part of the work we are doing directly with Governors to address local issues and ensure experienced staff and new recruits remain in the service.



Table 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37.7 KB)

Sexual Offences

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to encourage victims of attempted rape to report that crime to the police.

Lucy Frazer: Victims of sexual violence and abuse show immense bravery in coming forward, and we want them to have the confidence to report incidents knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice. That is why we have nearly doubled funding for victim support services since 2013, as well as increasing the funding available to specialist rape and sexual abuse services by 10% - up to £24m over the next three years – to help provide advice, support and counselling to victims of these appalling crimes. We are also taking action through the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, backed by £100 million of funding, to support victims and prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. As part of this work we will undertake a review of the criminal justice system’s response to rape and sexual offences to ensure we support survivors through every stage of this process.

Legal Aid Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of former UK citizens that are able to access to the Legal Aid Scheme.

Lucy Frazer: The Legal Aid Agency does not record the citizenship of legal aid applicants, and as such we cannot comment on trends relating to the access to legal aid by former UK citizens.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support is available to victims of attempted rape during the process of bringing their case to the police.

Lucy Frazer: In accordance with the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code), a person is entitled to support if they have suffered harm, including physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss, which was directly caused by a criminal offence. They are entitled to access victim support services at any time, whether they have reported a crime or not.This year, the Government allocated £24m over the next three years to specialist sexual violence and abuse support services across England and Wales to provide advice, support and counselling to victims of these appalling crimes to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. Part of this funding will go towards Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to provide impartial advocacy for victims of sexual violence and abuse who have reported to the police or are considering reporting to the police.In addition, in the cross-government Victims Strategy, which we published on 10 September 2018, we made a commitment to improve support for victims of crime, including by increasing the number of Registered Intermediaries, communication experts helping vulnerable victims and witnesses give their best evidence at police interview and at court.

Knives: Crime

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will conduct a review of the existing protections for victims of serious violent crime which specifically consults those affected or bereaved by knife crime attacks.

Lucy Frazer: Serious violence devastates families and communities and we are taking action on a number of fronts to tackle it. With regard specifically to victims we are reviewing the Victims’ Code, including the enhanced entitlements in the Code for victims of the most serious violence and bereaved family members, and we will consult on the proposals shortly. However, we recognise more needs to be done. That’s why the Prime Minister hosted a Serious Youth Violence Summit last month. Following the Summit, the Justice Secretary announced:that the emotional, practical and specialist support of the Ministry of Justice funded national Homicide Service would be available to witnesses of murder and manslaughter in London from 4 April and be considered for wider roll out;the review of the Victims’ Code will include making it clearer that those psychologically affected after witnessing acts of serious violence are entitled to support just as are physical victims; anda pilot programme will introduce staff training and guidance in young offender institutions to help identify children in custody who may have been victims of crime and allow for referral to support in custody and the community to help them cope and recover.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to implement Baroness Newlove's recommendations for the overhaul of Criminal Injuries Compensation Law.

Lucy Frazer: We welcome the Victims’ Commissioner’s review which provided important insight into the experiences and difficulties faced by victims when applying for compensation. We will be carefully considering the findings and recommendations within her report (Compensation without re-traumatisation), as part of the review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. As previously stated, we will launch a public consultation on the proposals later this year.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Sustainable Development

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government has put in place to ensure trade policy is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

George Hollingbery: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



The UK has long supported the promotion of our values globally and this will continue as we leave the EU. We want to ensure economic growth and development go hand in hand. We are exploring all options in the design of future trade and investment agreements including sustainable development provisions within these taking into account responses to the government consultation. An aspiration in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is tariff-free access for Least Developed Countries trading into developed country markets which we have cemented in UK legislation through the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018. It also remains our priority to replicate the effects of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) as the UK exits the EU. The UK has signed EPAs with Eastern and Southern Africa States, Pacific States and CARIFORUM States.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission: Public Appointments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the selection process will be for the new chairman of Building Better, Building Beautiful commission.

Kit Malthouse: The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission is an independent body that will advise Government on how to promote and increase the use of high-quality design for new-build homes and neighbourhoods. In the light of the recent decision to discontinue the role of Sir Roger Scruton as Chair of the Commission, the Secretary of State will be selecting and announcing a new Chair in due course. In the meantime, the work of the Commission will continue with the aim of producing an interim report to the Secretary of State in July and final report in December.

Multiple Occupation: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many registered houses of mulitple occupancy there are in (a) the Borough of Havering and (b) London.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We estimate from local authority data returns for the period 2017-18, that there were 29 properties registered as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) with mandatory licences in the Borough of Havering, and in London we estimate there are 163,024. Since these figures were published the Government has extended mandatory licensing of HMOs to properties of any size, given 5 or more people from 2 or more households. Data on properties licensed since the extension will not be available until local authority data returns for 2018-19 are published in 2020.

Leasehold

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on proposals to (a) protect and (b) improve the rights of leaseholders in England and Wales.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to reforming the leasehold system to ensure fairness and transparency for leaseholders. Last year, we consulted on implementing the ban on new leasehold houses and restricting ground rents on future leases to zero financial value, and will provide a government response in due course.We are working with the Law Commission, who are taking forward a programme of work and recently consulted on:making buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, quicker and more cost effective;reinvigorating commonhold, so that it is a viable alternative to leasehold; andmaking it easier for leaseholders to exercise the Right to Manage, and take control of their blocks.The Law Commission are now analysing responses and will report back to the Government with recommendations later this year.In addition, the Government has established a working group chaired by Lord Best to raise standards across the property management sector. This group will consider the transparency of service charges, and how they should be presented to consumers, and the best means for challenging unjustified fees. The group is instructed to report back in 2019 and the Government will consider its recommendations. We are also ensuring all landlord freeholders belong to a redress scheme and giving freeholders on private or mixed use estates equivalent rights to leaseholders to challenge communal costs.The Government recently announced an industry led Pledge so that leaseholders with 10 or 15 year doubling ground rents can have their lease terms amended voluntarily. We have also said that we will be clamping down on unjustified legal costs for leaseholders, we will implement the majority of the Law Commission's recommendations on 'event fees' in the retirement sector.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Jake Berry: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:£412 million of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286 million of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18). (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf)Over £1.5 billion of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on 13 March 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/).Over £2 billion of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on 18 December 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.

Tree Preservation Orders

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of tree preservation orders; and if he will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



Tree Preservation Orders are issued and enforced by local authorities, who have responsibility for ensuring trees of amenity value are protected for their community's enjoyment. The Government strongly believes in protecting our natural environment, which is why we increased protection for Ancient and Veteran trees in the National Planning Policy Framework in 2018, and are the first Government to commit to leaving the natural environment in a better state then we inherited it.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether expanding polyurethane foam is defined as filler material under his Department's guidance (a) paragraph 12.7 of Fire safety: Approved Document B2, published in 2006, 2010, and 2013 and (b) paragraph 12.6 of Approved Document B2, published in 2018.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



Expanding polyurethane foam is used for a wide variety of purposes. The application of the guidance in paragraphs 12.6 and/or 12.7 of the approved document to the use of expanding polyurethane foam would need to be considered on a case by case basis. These products are commonly used as a joint sealant and as such would not be covered by paragraphs 12.6 or 12.7, but there may be other circumstances, such as being used as a void filler between two layers of construction in an external wall, where paragraph 12.7 would apply. The guidance in approved documents should be considered in full and in the context to the requirements of the regulations themselves.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2019 to Question 244108 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department published documentation outlining the definition of the term filler prior to June 2017.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



No.

Housing: Construction

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to encourage more environmentally conscious house-building that takes into account established trees and local bird populations.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



Our revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, asks local authorities to support development whose primary objective is to conserve or enhance biodiversity. Opportunities to incorporate biodiversity improvements in and around developments should also be encouraged, especially where this can secure measurable net gains for biodiversity. These gains could include the safeguarding of established trees or bird populations, access to new green space, and provision of green infrastructure such as swift bricks or hedgehog highways. The government will use the forthcoming Environment Bill to mandate biodiversity net gain for development in England ensuring that the delivery of much-needed infrastructure and housing is not at the expense of vital biodiversity.

Smallholdings

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have sold off (a) all and (b) more than 50 per cent of  council smallholdings since 1997.

Kit Malthouse: Holding answer received on 02 May 2019



This information is not held centrally.

Ministry of Defence

KBR: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of whether the PFI arrangement with KBR to maintain a fleet of 92 heavy equipment transporters for the British Army will be renewed beyond 2023.

Stuart Andrew: The current Heavy Equipment Transporter Private Finance Initiative contract expires in 2024. The requirement for the future transportation of heavy equipment will be developed prior to the expiry date with an appropriate contractual arrangement placed accordingly.

Air Force: Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the timeframe is of UK aircrew to finish training to fly the Poseidon MRA Mkl (P-8A).

Stuart Andrew: The initial cohort of aircrew currently undertaking training for this platform will complete their training in time for the aircraft's delivery to the RAF in late 2019.

Navantia: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to prohibit Spanish firm, Navantia, from bidding for the contract to build Royal Navy support ships.

Stuart Andrew: The Fleet Solid Support ship competition will be undertaken strictly in accordance with the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, which govern competitive procurements conducted by the Ministry of Defence.

Department for Work and Pensions

Business: Asbestos and Carcinogens

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking with businesses to prevent employee's exposure to (a) asbestos and (b) carcinogens in the workplace.

Justin Tomlinson: All businesses must prevent, or if this is not reasonably practicable minimise, exposure of employees to carcinogens, including asbestos, in the workplace. Businesses must comply with the requirements of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, both of which are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE also produces free guidance to assist businesses to comply with their legal duties: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm & http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/. HSE also works in partnership with businesses and others to raise awareness of workplace ill health. For example, occupational lung disease, including that caused by exposure to carcinogens, is one of three health priorities that form HSE’s Health and Work strategy to prevent workplace ill health. This work includes the national campaign ‘Go Home Healthy’ to promote HSE’s commitment to tackling ill health.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Canoeing

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department last met with representatives of British Canoeing on access on Inland Waterways; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of granting canoeists the same level of access rights on inland waterways in England as is granted in Scotland.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: I met British Canoeing to discuss access on inland waterways on 26 November. Government policy continues to be that access to rivers should be arranged through voluntary agreements between landowners, canoeists and those wishing to use the water for recreational purposes.

Inland Waterways

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the statutory right of navigation on water in relation to shared access for recreation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Access to waterways, including for recreational purposes, remains subject to licence by the relevant navigation authority, or subject to agreement with the riparian landowner where there is no navigation authority in place.

Countryside: Access

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many square kilometres of countryside were covered by access arrangements and available to the public before the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The total area covered by access agreements in England before the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 was 4,890 square kilometres.

Countryside: Access

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ability to secure locally agreed access arrangements to facilitate greater public access to the countryside, before the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There has been no recent assessment of this nature, however access agreements were included as part of the Countryside and Rights of Way Bill research paper prior to the introduction of the Act. The full report can be viewed at: https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/RP00-31 Due to the length of time which has passed, many documents have been destroyed in line with standard retention periods and we have no information about other assessments prior to the introduction of the Act.

Fracking: Water

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many waste water facilities in the UK are permitted to treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing operations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: This is a devolved matter and the below information relates to England only. There are currently five facilities in England with the appropriate environmental permits that would allow for the treatment of the waste water from hydraulic fracturing. There are a large number of sites around the country which, subject to obtaining the relevant permits, could accept and treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing.

Fracking: Landfill

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many landfill sites in the UK are permitted to dispose of (a) waste water sludge, (b) sand and (c) filter cake produced from hydraulic fracturing operations.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Any sand or sludge resulting from hydraulic fracturing operations will form in the filter cake that is produced as part of the waste water treatment process. This solid waste needs to be tested to determine if it is hazardous or non-hazardous before it can be disposed of at a landfill site. Depending on the results, the filter cake can be sent to any landfill site that has the necessary permits in place. There are currently 21 hazardous waste landfill sites and 245 non-hazardous waste landfill sites permitted in England.

Fracking: Water

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what process did waste water go through in order to be (a) treated and (b) disposed of following hydraulic fracturing operations in 2018.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The waste water from hydraulic fracturing was treated using a physio-chemical process involving the precipitation and filtration of metal solids. Two waste streams are produced from this treatment process – liquid effluent and solid filter cake. The liquid effluent is tested to ensure it complies with the strict limits of the trade effluent consent, and then disposed of to foul sewer. It then undergoes further treatment at the sewage treatment works, prior to discharge. The filter cake is tested to determine if it is hazardous or non-hazardous, and then sent to a suitably permitted landfill site.

Home Office

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the merits of the industry campaign One Too Many to educate passengers about the dangers of disruptive behaviour at airports.

Victoria Atkins: The Government welcomes the One Too Many campaign for the contribution it makes in raising public awareness of a zero-tolerance approach to passengers who get drunk and act in a disruptive way.The participation of many airports, airline and airside licensed premises in the One Too Many campaign is positive. It forms part of wider efforts by the aviation industry, such as a Code of Practice on Drunk and Disorderly Passengers and improved staff training, to tackle this rare but unacceptable behaviour.Prompted by concerns about such behaviour, the Government published a Call for Evidence on airside alcohol licensing at international airports in England and Wales last November. Our response will be published shortly.

Counter-terrorism: Students

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Prevent nominals are university students.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Prevent nominals are school children.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Prevent nominals are from the Borough of Havering.

Mr Ben Wallace: During the year 2017/18, 2,426 Prevent referrals were received from the education sector. This constituted 33% of the total number of referrals during that year. The Home Office does not hold data pertaining to the proportion of the total that were university students or school childrenFurthermore, this figure is likely to comprise referrals relating to groups other than university students and school children, as referrals originating from the education sector could include any individual in contact with respective institutionsDuring the year 2017/18, 809 Prevent referrals were received from Local Authorities. This constituted 11% of the total number of referrals during that year. Due to small numbers and the resulting risk of personal identification, we do not provide breakdowns of Prevent referral data by local authority area.Further information can be found in the publication: Individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme, April 2017 to March 2018 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/763254/individuals-referred-supported-prevent-programme-apr2017-mar2018-hosb3118.pdf

Knives: Sales

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the level of availability of knives on social media shopping apps.

Victoria Atkins: The Government recognises that the online purchase of goods and services can take different forms, and that social media shopping apps may be one of the methods for obtaining items, including knives. This is why the law relating to the sale of knives to under 18s applies equally to in-store and online purchases. In addition, through the Offensive Weapons Bill, currently awaiting Royal Assent, we will stop knives being sent to residential addresses after they are bought online, unless the seller has arrangements in place with the delivery company to ensure that the product will not be delivered into the hands of a person under 18. This will help to ensure that purchasers cannot circumvent the existing law by buying knives online.We have also agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to prevent the underage sales of knives more generally in their stores and online. The agreement also covers staff training and displays and packaging. Tesco, eBay UK, Lidl UK, Amazon UK, Wilko, Argos, Asda, Poundland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Waitrose have all signed up to the principles. They have since been joined by Boots, the Co-op, B&Q, Aldi, TKMaxx and Debenhams. We are working with retailers to strengthen the agreement in relation to displays and that work is continuing. Following on from this, Asda have announced that they will stop selling single knives in its stores by the end of April, a move supported by the Government.In addition, on 17 June 2018 the Home Secretary announced funding of £1.4m to support a new national police capability to tackle gang related activity on social media. The hub will be fully operational by the end of May 2019.

Knives: Crime

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of banning the sale of pointed knives as a means of reducing knife crime.

Victoria Atkins: The Government recognises the devastating impact that knife crime has on victims, their families and the communities in which they live. We know that knife crime is committed by criminals carrying a wide range of different knives. This is why the law does not generally differentiate between knives, for example in relation to age controls or possession offences.The Government needs to strike the right balance between allowing access to knives, for instance as tools, with the need to protect the public from dangerous weapons. It is unclear whether knives with rounded tips would necessarily cause less harm if used as weapons. We believe the controls we have in place, which will be strengthened by the Offensive Weapons Bill, support this.

Nuisance: Enforcement

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department has issued to police forces on the enforcement of the offence of public nuisance.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has not issued guidance to the police in relation to the enforcement of the offence of public nuisance.

Criminal Investigation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that the police investigate all reported crime.

Mr Nick Hurd: We expect the police to take all reports of crime seriously and to investigate where appropriate. It is the responsibility of Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to make sure criminal cases are investigated properlyFunding to the police in 2019/20 is increasing by over £1 billion in 2019/20, including council tax, extra funding for pensions costs, and £100 million funding to tackle serious violence.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the voluntary sector has the required information to signpost people who may be showing signs of domestic abuse to find appropriate assistance.

Victoria Atkins: On March 7 the Government published a refreshed Cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy providing an update on existing actions, and outlining additional actions to ensure that all Government departments are tackling VAWG. The refresh includes the wealth of insights gained from the domestic abuse consultation to ensure that all aspects of domestic abuse are considered across departments. The domestic abuse consultation response committed to review our communications activity to ensure that we are providing relevant information to the public outlining clearly what domestic abuse is, and what options they have if they are a victim or are concerned about someone else who is a victim.Over this spending review period we are providing £100 million of dedicated funding, including a £17 million VAWG Service Transformation Fund to 41 projects across England and Wales that support local areas to work collaboratively with specialist third sector organisations and develop best practice on early intervention and prevention, not just crisis response.

Home Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Victoria Atkins: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as:• £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Depart-ment for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016• £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf• Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018. https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/• Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December 2018. https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.The Department also received £5.45m of additional funding in 2018/19, for no-deal civil contingency planning.

Knives: Crime

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has asked the Prime Minister to convene a COBRA meeting in response to the increase in knife attacks in the UK in the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: The Government does not intend to convene a COBRA meeting at this time to discuss knife crime. The Prime Minister hosted a Serious Youth Violence Summit at 10 Downing Street on 1 to 4 April, at which she brought together victims’ representatives, young people, community leaders, charities, faith leaders, businesses, police, health professionals, Ministers and others to focus on what more can be done.The new Taskforce will be chaired by the Prime Minister, supported by a new, dedicated, serious violence team in the Cabinet Office, to support cross-departmental action on serious violence. This will ensure that there is a clear focus right across Government, and the necessary coordination across Departments, to ensure that everything possible is being done to tackle knife crime and serious violence.

Knives: Crime

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will hold discussions with representatives of (a) Operation Shutdown, (b) bereaved family members, (c) grassroots and other youth and community groups and (d) other stakeholders on the Government's public health approach to tackling the increase in knife crime.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Secretary and Ministers regularly meet families, victims and a range of other stakeholders to discuss issues around knife crime and serious violence. Tackling serious violence is a top priority for the Government and it is clear we must continue to step up the response to stop this violence. The Serious Violence Strategy sets out the Government’s approach, which depends on a multi-agency ‘public health’ approach across several sectors and stresses the importance of early intervention to tackle the root causes. We have also taken a number of steps towards introducing a multi-agency ‘public health’ approach to knife crime and serious violence.On 1 April we launched a public consultation on a new legal duty to support a ‘public health’ multi-agency approach to preventing and tackling serious violence. This statutory duty would make serious violence a top priority for all key partners, ensuring that they are working together to prevent young people being caught in the criminal cycle. The consultation, which closes on 28 May, can be found on the Gov.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=home-office&publication_filter_option=consultationsOn 13 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £100 million funding in 2019/20 to help in the police’s immediate response to the rise in serious knife crime, enabling priority forces to immediately begin planning to put in place the additional capacity they need. £35m of this Serious Violence Fund will support the setting up of Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in areas most affected by knife crime. The VRUs will be similar to the Glasgow model, bringing together a range of agencies including health, education, social services and others, to develop a multi-agency approach in preventing serious violence altogether.In October 2018 the Home Secretary announced a ten-year £200m Youth Endowment Fund, focused on targeted early intervention with those children and young people most vulnerable to involvement in serious violence. This will form an important part of the multi-agency, public health; approach to serious violence.On 1 to 4 April 2019 the Prime Minister hosted a Serious Youth Violence Summit at 10 Downing Street, with the support of the Home Secretary and Secretaries of State. The central aim of the summit was to ensure a shared understanding and commitment to a multi-agency, ‘public health’ approach to tackling knife crime and serious violence more generally. An outcome of the Summit is the creation of a new Ministerial Taskforce, chaired by the Prime Minister, to drive cross-government action. This will be supported by a new, dedicated, serious violence team in the Cabinet Office to support cross-departmental coordination.

Offences against Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to improve co-ordination with the Metropolitan Police in tackling the (a) trafficking, (b) grooming and (c) abuse of children.

Mr Nick Hurd: Police, including the Metropolitan Police Service, are operationally independent of Government. We work with law enforcement agencies to better understand the challenges they face and, where appropriate, to help strengthen their response to the abuse and exploitation of vulnerable children.In 2016 the Home Secretary commissioned HMICFRS to produce quarterly reports, monitoring the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) progress in improving its protection of young people from harm and abuse. The quarterly Child Protection Inspections took place between 2017-2018. Following this programme, the Inspectorate continues to provide ongoing learning support to the MPS and will revisit the force to assess progress.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Mundell: As part of preparations for a successful EU exit, the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has been allocated additional EU exit funding. The Department holds no estimate of what it has spent on no-deal preparations, which cannot readily be separated from other EU exit and devolution functions in general.

Cabinet Office

Data Protection: USA

Mr David Davis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what measures are in place to prevent the US Government accessing confidential information on British citizens that is stored with US hyperscale cloud providers, following the passage of the US CLOUD Act.

Oliver Dowden: Many countries, including the United Kingdom, assert extra-territorial jurisdiction in relation to some of their investigative powers as a crucial means of preventing and prosecuting crime in a world where evidence is increasingly digital and controlled overseas. The Government understands that the CLOUD Act clarified provisions of United States’ law in relation to the US authorities’ ability to obtain certain data hosted abroad and did not mark a radical expansion to the scope or reach of their powers. The Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation provide robust safeguards to protect the privacy of those in the UK, and we are committed to working with other governments including the US to ensure that privacy is properly respected where jurisdictional interests overlap.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Mr David Lidington: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far.This funding is to cover all exit scenarios, and is in addition to departmental efforts to reprioritise from business as usual toward preparations for the UK’s departure from the EU.Work on no-deal exit preparations cannot be readily separated from other EU exit work. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review.This expenditure breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016.£286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18). (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf)Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/)Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December 2018. (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/)

Constituencies

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting the next boundary review using census population statistics and citizenship information sourced from passport data.

Kevin Foster: Boundary reviews have always been based on the number of registered electors. TheGovernment remains of the view that continuing to use the definitive registered electorateis the most effective way of keeping constituencies up to date.

European Parliament: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many European nationals resident in the UK were registered to vote in the 2014 European elections.

Kevin Foster: The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of European nationalsresident in the UK who were registered to vote in the 2014 European ParliamentaryelectionsThe numbers of eligible people on the registers for electoral events are published by theElectoral Commission following the elections taking place, but do not include a breakdownof the numbers of EU citizens eligible to vote. The report on the 2014 EuropeanParliamentary elections was produced by the Electoral Commission in July 2014 and isavailable online (www.electoralcommission.org.uk)Similarly, the Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of Europeannationals resident in the UK who are registered to vote for the 2019 EuropeanParliamentary electionsEach Electoral Registration Officer maintains a register for their own local area. Someheadline registration statistics by area are collated and published annually by the Office forNational Statistics, however, this does not include a breakdown of the numbers of EUcitizens registered to vote. The total number of UK local government electors – whichincludes EU citizens – in the year to December 2018 was 47.8 millionThe latest bulletin is available at:www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration.

European Parliament: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many European nationals resident in the UK are registered to vote in the 2019 European elections.

Kevin Foster: The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of European nationalsresident in the UK who were registered to vote in the 2014 European ParliamentaryelectionsThe numbers of eligible people on the registers for electoral events are published by theElectoral Commission following the elections taking place, but do not include a breakdownof the numbers of EU citizens eligible to vote. The report on the 2014 EuropeanParliamentary elections was produced by the Electoral Commission in July 2014 and isavailable online (www.electoralcommission.org.uk)Similarly, the Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of Europeannationals resident in the UK who are registered to vote for the 2019 EuropeanParliamentary electionsEach Electoral Registration Officer maintains a register for their own local area. Someheadline registration statistics by area are collated and published annually by the Office forNational Statistics, however, this does not include a breakdown of the numbers of EUcitizens registered to vote. The total number of UK local government electors – whichincludes EU citizens – in the year to December 2018 was 47.8 millionThe latest bulletin is available at:www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration.

Treasury

UK Trade with EU

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total gross amount paid by the UK to the EU was in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available (a) including and (b) excluding tariffs collected on goods entering the UK from non-EU countries.

Mel Stride: In 2017, the total gross amount paid by the UK to the EU rounds to £13bn. In accordance with EU regulations, Member States contribute 80% of customs duties collected on non-EU imports. The UK consequently retains 20% of these duties to cover the costs of collection. In 2017, the UK contributed £3.2bn in customs duties to the EU. Therefore, the UK’s gross contribution excluding customs duties to the EU was £9.8bn.

Amazon: Taxation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the (a) the revenue of Amazon Web Services in the UK and (b) the tax paid on that revenue in the last financial year.

Mel Stride: Ministers are not privy to the tax affairs of individual companies and so do not have estimates of the total revenue or tax liability Amazon Web Services generate in the UK. Some of this information may be found Amazon’s published accounts, including those of UK companies that are available at Companies House.

Revenue and Customs: Pay

Angela Crawley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office of 24 April 2019, Official Report column 743, what arrangements the Treasury has negotiated with civil servants employed in HMRC in order to permit higher wage increases than the proposed 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent pay award.

Mel Stride: The 2018 Civil Service pay guidance allows departments to submit business cases, based on improvements to efficiency and productivity, for higher pay. The HMRC Chief Executive has shared that he is exploring HMRC’s opportunities for doing this in 2019.

Customs: Dover Port

Lee Rowley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what customs checks are performed at Dover Port on outgoing freight traffic; what the average time taken for such checks is per vehicle; what customs checks he plans to carry out in the event that the UK leaves the EU on 31 October 2019 without an agreement for (a) vehicles with no export documentation, (b) vehicles which have completed a customs declaration on the New Computerised Transit System and (c) vehicles operating under the Transports Internationaux Routiers Treaty and with a customs declaration made on the new transit system; and if he will make a statement

Mel Stride: Times for customs checks at Dover will vary depending on the nature of the goods exported. Currently, customs checks are carried out on non-EU goods only which makes up a small proportion of Dover exports. Customs clearance is highly automated and, overall, around 96% of declarations are cleared within 20 seconds. Border Force is responsible for customs matters at the border, which includes carrying out customs checks on exported goods and goods in transit. For Dover, the majority of customs checks are performed at inland sites away from the port, such as at Stop 24. The Government has agreed an extension with the EU to the date of EU Exit to the end of October 2019 at the latest. However, the Government’s priority remains to leave, with a deal, as soon as possible. As a responsible Government we have been working to minimise any disruption in the event of no deal for over 2 years. Due to the extension that has now been agreed, all departments will review their current plans and make appropriate decisions about the timing and pace at which some of this work is progressing. We will continue to prepare for all Brexit scenarios.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Lee Rowley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the New Computerised Transit System incorporates an interface with Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems; and if he will make a statement.

Lee Rowley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the New Computerised Transit System incorporates an interface with Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems.

Mel Stride: There is currently no interface between the New Computerised Transit System and the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Technology: Bullying

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what resources his Department provide to (a) voluntary and (b) statutory support services to help prevent technology-facilitated abuse.

Margot James: The Government published the Online Harms White Paper on the 8 April. This sets out the Government’s plans for world leading laws to make the UK one of the safest places in the world to be online. These will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially children and other vulnerable groups.

Culture: Finance

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that areas such as North Cornwall get their fair share of Creative Industries funding after a previous unsuccessful bid.

Margot James: Government recognises the important role that the creative industries play in driving local growth and creating new opportunities in places across the UK.To support the UK’s world-leading cultural and creative businesses, the government and industry invested £150 million in the Creative Industries Sector Deal.The Deal announced several proposals including a £20 million ‘Cultural Development Fund’ (CDF) for cities and towns in England to bid for creative and cultural investment. As part of the competitive grant application process, the following towns and cities were successful in their CDF application: Worcester, Wakefield, Thames Estuary, Plymouth and Grimsby. In addition, a £39m ‘Creative Industries Cluster Programme’ funding for nine R&D partnerships has been set up across the UK.The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport also funds Arms Length Bodies such as Arts Council England which invest in arts and culture on a regional basis.According to Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisations in Cornwall - many of which are defined as Creative Industries - will receive up to £10 million in funding between 2018-22. In addition, a further £5.96 million has been invested in Music Education Hubs and Grants for the Arts between 2013 and 2019

Sports: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of indoor sports provision in the East Midlands in each year since 2015.

Mims Davies: Sporting Future, Government’s sport and physical activity strategy highlighted how important it is that people are able to access sports provision in the way that best suits them whether this is indoors or outdoors.In the East Midlands region Sport England has provided £42,652,294 Exchequer and £118,453,712 lottery funding since the 2014/15 funding year.It is not possible for Sport England to provide a cost breakdown between indoor and outdoor sports provision as funding data is not held in this manner.

Football: Racial Discrimination

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle racism in amateur football.

Mims Davies: Following my summit on Feb 25th, Government is working with key groups to deliver clear, tangible actions to tackle racism at all levels of football. As per my statement to the house on 11th April, my intention is to announce these interventions, in partnership with football, before the end of the summer.

Young People: Public Participation

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase participation in public life among younger age groups.

Mims Davies: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched three new youth voice projects in February 2019, to enable young people to have a say in national policy making: a Young Commissioners and Inspectors Group, a Civil Society Youth Steering Group and a digital youth engagement research project. DCMS also provides funding for the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Select Committee and Make Your Mark ballot which support young people to raise issues on local and national levels. The £40 million #iwill Fund, a 4 year joint investment between DCMS and The National Lottery Community Fund, supports the creation of new opportunities for young people to volunteer and engage in their local communities. The National Citizen Service (NCS), a voluntary social development programme for young people, is helping to build a more responsible, more cohesive and more engaged society. NCS participants have dedicated over 12 million hours of volunteering to their local communities.

Marriage

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to (a) restrict or (b) remove the charitable status of Churches and other faith-based organisations who express and practise historic orthodox beliefs on the doctrine of marriage.

Mims Davies: To be a charity, institutions, including Churches and other faith-based organisations in England and Wales, must meet the legal test for charitable status set out in the Charities Act 2011. This requires the institution to have a wholly charitable purpose for the benefit of the public. The advancement of religion has long been recognised as a charitable purpose. There is no presumption that a particular charitable purpose is for the public benefit.The Charity Commission, as the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, is responsible for assessing if an institution meets the legal test for charitable status.There are no plans to change the legal test for charitable status which applies to Churches and other faith-based organisations who express and practise historic orthodox beliefs on the doctrine of marriage.